The last time I visited the Museo dell'Automobile "BONFANTI back in 2001 and if you have missed that opportunity to visit the museum, you can see most of the exhibits at maser01.htm.

On that occasion, I had to thank Sig. Arcangelo Battaglia and Sign. Rosanna Bontorin from the museum for their kindness in allowing me to take those photographs and pass on that information to 'Maseratisti' who were unable to visit the exhibition.

It was the most important exhibition ever seen about the 'Casa del Tridente' and was made possible through the close co-operation of Maserati SpA, the Registro Maserati and its members, the Biscaretti Museum in Turin and Collezione West Srl, Sports and Classic Maserati, Modena.

On a recent visit to Italy, I was once again fortunate enough to find time to visit the Museo dell'Automobile "BONFANTI-VIMAR" at Romano d'Ezzelino, near Bassano del Grappa in the province of Vicenza.

This year the museum have staged an exhibition entitled "MASERATI - 1957-2007 - 50 ANNI DAL MONDIALE DI F.1" that features a magnificent collection of Maserati race cars, engines and related memorabilia from the original Tipo 26 engine, #001, to the fabulous MC12 of today.

The present exhibition started back on May the 5th and ends on the 21st October 2007, so, if you get the chance to visit, you really should!

One of many Maserati race cars on display was the magnificent Tipo V5 re-creation of Sig Igor Zanisi. A truly remarkable piece of workmanship!

A brass plaque on the side of the car bears this inscription; "This car reproduces the Maserati V5 that raced at Tripoli in 1934, driven by Piero Taruffi, and was destroyed in an accident. Dedicated to the Maserati Brothers in 1999. Igor Zanisi, Gianni Torelli, Ermanno Cozza and Alberto Procovio."

Full details of this and forthcoming exhibitions can be found on the Museo Dell'Automobile "BONFANTI-VIMAR" web site at www.museobonfanti.veneto.it.

Unfortunately at the time of my visit, the MC12, the Tipo 26B, the 1955 A6GCS Berlinetta by Pinin Farina, the Ligier Maserati JS2, the 1954 A6G-2000 Coupe by Zagato, the 1954 Maserati 250F and the 1963 Tipo 63 'Birdcage' had been rermoved, but were replaced by some suitably delicious machinery!

A fellow Maserati Club member and travelled to Italy again in early October to attend the 4th Marco Turci Meeting(Mantova/Modena/Fiorano/Mirandola), and visited the museum during our stay.

I would like to thank Sign. Rosanna and the Museo 'BONFANTI-VIMAR' for their courteous hospitality, and for allowing me access to photograph these magnificent machines.

An evolution of the Tipo V4 from the years 1929 to 1931, the Tipo V5 kept to the original structure of that engine with 16 cylinders in twin 25° V8 lines: the capacity however was increased from 4 to 5 litres, thus producing an extreme abundance of power. Its excellent technical specification notwithstanding, the car did not achieve important results, often beset by unrelated technical problems, such as a broken accelerator linkage.

This is the first Maserati engine developed and built by Alfieri Maserati in 1926. Alfieri himself raced the Tipo 26 to victory in the 1500 cc class at the Targa Florio that year beating the strong Bugatti team.

Designed between 1939 and 1940, it was the obvious evolution of the 8CTF engine, which in those same years won the Indianapolis 500. With four valves per cylinder and square internal dimensions of 78x78 mm, this supercharged engine was cut off in its prime by the outbreak of WWII. After the war, the 8CL was raced at Indianapolis by Luigi 'Gigi' Villoresi in 1946 and again by Californian Fred Agabashian in 1949.

The chassis of the Tipo 4CM was reduced in overall size in an effort to save weight, a component essential for efficiency. One of these chassis was later bodied as the Tipo 4CL from 1939 on.

Developed to compete with the British ERAs in the Grand Prix class up to 1½-litres, the new Maserati was a classical, yet very competitive motor car. The body, with rounded lines, was a major progression from an aerodynamic point of view. In 1937, the Maserati brothers sold the controlling interest of their company to the Orsi family, staying on as technical managers for ten more years.

After withdrawing from racing in 1957, Maserati produced racing engines for use in cars owned by privateers, teams and individual drivers in both the Formula 1 and Sportscar categories. The Tipo 6 1.5 litre engine, derived from the Tipo 150S 4 cylinder Sports, was installed in a Cooper chassis. In Italy, the Cooper-Maserati T51 was entered in races by Guglielmo Dei's Scuderia Centro Sud.

This experimental engine was designed and built in 1963 and developed in 1964 to run in the F.1 World Championship for 1½-litre single-seaters. The 60° V-12 engine with transmission unit was designed to be mounted in a transverse rear position. In 1966, a new 3-litre formula was introduced causing the project to be abandoned.

This is the steering wheel from the Tipo 250F monoposto with which Juan Manuel Fangio won the F.1 German Grand Prix after having performed the drive of his life at the expense of the Lancia/Ferraris of Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins. A legendary victory.

After the race, the steering wheel was removed and kept at the 'Casa del Tridente' as a prestigious trophy.

This is the updated version with twinoverhead camshafts, while the chassis was the work of Ing. Gioachino Colombo. A victorious car on many occasions, it was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio, Onofre Marimon, Gianfranco Bonetto and Toulo de Graffenreid. Luigi Musso won the 1935 and 1954 Italian Championship for Sports cars, and in 1945, Sergio Mantovani won the 'Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti'.

The Tipo A6GCS 'Monofaro' was built to compete with the Ferrari in the 2-litre Sports category. The debut was a great success. At the 'Circuito di Modena', Alberto Ascari was first with Luigi Villoresi second.

The acronym "A6GCS" is made up from "A" as in Alfieri, "6" for the numbers of cylinders, "G" because the engine block was made from "Ghisa" (cast iron in Italian), "C" for Corsa (racing), and "S" for Sports class.

An accurate two-thirds scale working model of a Tipo 60 powered by an electric motor.

An accurate two-thirds scale working model of a Tipo 250F powered by an electric motor.

At the 1947 Geneva Motor Show, Maserati introduced the A6 Coupe with coachwork by Pinin Farina, that was produced in a limited series, starting with a few significant modifications in 1948. The tubular chassis adopted round section components, whilst the engine is derived from the competition unit. It was the last design by the Maserati brothers, who shortly after left the company. The car took part in the Mille Miglia in 1948 and was placed 12th in the Sports class up to 2 litres as it passed through Rome, but later had to withdraw.

An evolution of the Tipo 300S and of the Tipo 350S, this Maserati sportscar is powered by a 90° V8 engine, tuned by Guido Taddeucci under Giulio Alfieri's guidance. The tubular steel chassis was made by Valerio Colotti. This Trident car took part, in varying fortunes, in the 1957 Sportscars Championship, competing with Aston Martins, Ferraris and Jaguars.

The Tipo 200SI ("SI" confirms the conformity with the regulations for the Sport International category) was the final evolution of the Tipo 200S. Introduced in 1955 in response to the threat of the Ferrari 500 Mondial. It used the 4CF2 engine designed in 1952 for the Formula 2 single-seater. It was a modern and agile car that was successful in the International FIA Championship.

With this model, Maserati returned to racing in the small Sportscar class, highly regarded albeit by racing drivers from the other side of the Atlantic. The Tipo 150S had several battles with the Porsches and also the OSCA 'cousins', built by the Maserati brothers in Bologna. The live axle of the A6GCS was replaced by a De Dion arrangement with transverse leaf spring.

The 150S engine of the 'Casa del Tridente' was powerful and robust, so other race car makers adopted it. The most widely used chassis were the Coopers, Lotuses, the Emerysons of the Equipe Nationale Belgique and, like this one, the Parson. Built and driven by the Englishman Stuart Young in 1957, the Parson used a 150S engine and a 4 speed gearbox 150/200S.

This was one of the sportscars built in the late fifties, in Great Britain and in Italy, by World Racing Enterprises. Construction was started in 1959 in Great Britain, but it was completed in Modena, where the Maserati 2 litree engine was installed, together with the clutch-gearbox assembly. The WRE-Maserati was successful in Italian hill climb and track races.

The 1991-1993 Barchettas were produced solely for competition use, and carried a name made famous by the Trident sportscars of the forties and fifties, with a bodywork in composite and carbon fibre. Tested by Michele Alboreto, the cars took part in the Grantrofeo Barchetta; six races in 1992 and ten in 1993, on the most famous race tracks in Europe.

Between 1995 and 1996, 60 Ghibli Cup cars were built, with the engine tuned to 330 bhp, a different differential ratio and 17 inch wheels.
About 20 other cars were prepared for the monomarque Selenia Ghibli Open Cup Championship, won in 1995 by Denny Zardo from the Veneto region. These cars had light alloy wheels with slick tyres, modified brakes and suspension, and a simpler cockpit.

This is the racing version of the Grand Turismo coupe introduced by the Trident marque in 2002, available as a Cambiocorsa with the sequential gearbox. The coupe Trofeo and Trofeo GranSport, took part from 2003 till 2006 in the Trofeo Maserati Europa, with the overall victory going year by year to Emanuele Smurra, Andrea Palma, Alberto Cerrai and Maurizio Fabris.

A Maserati built 90° V6 24-valve four overhead camshaft engine with twin turbochargers. Introduced by Maserati in 1988, it represented the final evolution of their Biturbo engine. A superb and robust engine fitted to the 2.24v and 4.24v, it went on to power the 1991 Barchetta race car, the Racing, the Ghibli, Ghibli GT, Ghibli Cup and Ghibli Open Cup racer and the V6 Quattroporte IVs (not forgetting the "due, due, due, quattrovalvole!").

Originally a 2-litre, it was later joined by a torqueyer 2.8-litre version. It ceased production in 1998, when Maserati abandoned the V6 configuration in favour of the V8.

The example on display is a 2-litre front-engined race car, modified, both mechanically and to the front bodywork, during a period of racing in England.